A Position of Trust
Doing What Needs to be Done While the campaign is angled at an outside character making contact with House Stonehearth, it doesn't have to roll that way. Characters could get a great deal done before they come in contact with a local agent, or even have zero contact for the better part of an adventure, whether they're taking care of business on the home front or working their way to the Promised Land. There's a great deal of grit in taking care of things the old fashioned way... and it helps players feel the contrast when contact is finally made. Accepting the Quest Whether inside or outside the Marquisate, there is an opportunity to act as an agent of Stonehearth without actually being a part of the House. Whether they keep a careful, quiet distance or aim to prove themselves worthy of the House, there are... opportunities. For the ambitious, this could be the way to climb their way up to a status of liaison or trusted agent. This could open the door to eventual authority and perhaps even a land grant and an opportunity to go into “builder mode” (if the player is so inclined). For a freed slave in Thay or Mulhorand, this may be the way to bring change to the homeland. It’s highly likely that a few frontier missions could build trust, which would lead to an invitation to travel to the marquisate for training and a return to the homeland after, where the character could bring home a whole new deadly skill set. Introductory Missions Briefing: * Clandestine mission (plausible deniability) * Covert mission (plausible deniability) * Direct Action mission (low strategic priority, potentially high life priority) Missions Available: For the allied group, perhaps exploring more of the Primal Campaign objectives, Stonehearth would be quietly supporting efforts around these trouble spots. The "Night Barony" near Impresk * Next to the [[Barony of Impresk|'Barony of Impresk']], hunting down and clearing out the vampires of the Erlkazar's "Night Barony." Note that doing so will cause the Kingdom of Erlkazar to collapse. This opens the door to annexation by either Tethyr or by Impresk itself. ** There's an 75% chance that Stonehearth would simply assume Erlkazar itself as an independent kingdom. That makes interesting politics because not that long ago, Erlkazar was a duchy in a much larger (and more capable) Tethyr. In the event Stonehearth did break away to annex the area, they'd also bend over backward to keep good relations with Tethyr. ** In the small chance that Stonehearth didn't take over the collapsing kingdom, it would still take Stonehearth resources to stabilize the area, after which they could hand Erlkazar over to an eternally-grateful Tethyr. If that were the case, the Barony of Impresk would sure be elevated to the status of Duchy within Tethy. ** Either way, the characters have the chance to make a name for themselves, with in that region, and possibly even find elevation into knighthoods or baronial positions within former Erlkazar. The House Collanar of Cormyr * The House Collanar has been actively railing against Stonehearth and is now the leading suspect behind a terrorist act against refugees in Stonehearth's [[Barony of Esparia|'Barony of Esparia']]. Collanar denies it, but tensions are rising to the point of war. While Collanar is the prime suspect, characters need to follow the clues that not only lead to the who and where, but to discover why before bringing the evidence to the Cormyrean court. Other Options If it's on Faerûn, Stonehearth is tracking it. If it's on Toril, Stonehearth has been nearby as they mapped the leylines for the geomancy that brought Lantan and Halruaa back. A dozen more places would have clandestine, or at least deniable covert Stonehearth support for immediate operations. Even outside Stonehearth's [[Stonehearth Ambitions|'objectives list']], the House still wants to see the good guys prevail – especially if it's next to their interests – and they're willing to give a hand when nobody else will. Here are four examples: * Anything near the Silver Marches, especially against the drow of the Upper Northdark (in particular, Menzoberranzan). * A little cross-campaign action against the Princes of the Apocalypse (north-central Lords' Alliance territory) would be supported by Stonehearth. * Counter-Thay operations (anywhere). * Or getting a head start on longer-term goals more immediately, whether that's simply scouting or if an adventuring crew could solve a problem before direct Stonehearth intervention, such as the Dragonspear Castle. Category:DM/GM Notes